Snowball Fight
by Adnap Nottap
Summary: Basic (but long) R/Hr fluff fic. At the Burrow for christmas. While they have a snowball fight, Hermione gets stuck in some snow, Ron has to help her and, well, you'll see. Fluffyness rules in this story!! R+R please!


Disclaimer: I own nothing I'm sorry to say, I'm worth nothing more than hay. Please don't get mad, please don't sue, it wouldn't be very nice of you!! Well, there is my little song…hope you enjoyed.

A/N: Hi again!! I'm releasing three stories at one time. I hope you read the other two too!! Please enjoy this!! Keep an open mind to the grammar/spelling mistakes. Thanks!! Bye!! **_R+R!!!_**

Rating: PG

Paring: Hr/R

Setting: The Burrow, during a very cold Christmas.

Summary: Harry, Ron, and Hermione are at The Burrow for Christmas. They are really cold so they decided to have a snowball fight (go figure). Hermione gets stuck in the snow and Ron, um; 'helps' her…you'll see. It's cute!!

Characters: Harry, Ron, and Hermione

Genre: Romance (In its purest and fluffiest form.)

Snowball Fight or, The Best Present Ever

It was freezing cold at The Burrow and the three friends huddled together on the couch for warmth. They hadn't done anything all day. They were too cold to do anything so they sat, all day long. Hermione was perfectly comfortable with this because she was half asleep, and besides, at least she was warm. Harry was dying of boredom, as was Ron. It had been at least two hours since they had sat down and they hadn't done anything except shift positions on the couch.

"Hermione, if I don't do something right now, I'm just going to freeze right to this couch." Harry grumbled.

"Hmm?" Hermione said, opening her eyes slowly. 

Ron groaned and got up. "I agree with you Harry. I need to move. Isn't there anything that we could do?"

"Let's have a snowball fight. It's been snowing for days and we haven't gone outside all break!" Harry said.

Hermione stared at him. "Harry, what are you talking about? It is too cold out there!"

"So what? We don't have to go out long. I just need to move. We can put extra sweaters on. I am going out there, even if I have to have twelve layers on." Ron told her stubbornly.

"You do want me to join right?"

"Of course!" Ron and Harry replied.

"Let me get this straight. You want me to go out into the snow, outside, in the snow, where it is below zero degrees? Not only do you want me to do that, but you also want me to play a game in which I get snow thrown at me, purposely?"

"Uh, that is usually how you do a snowball fight." Harry reminded her.

"Come on Hermione! It will be so much fun!" Ron told her eagerly. "Have some joy in your life. Live on the edge!!"

"The edge? You call a snowball fight the edge?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"Harry, for me, it is the edge!" Hermione said dramatically. "Going out into the freezing cold to play a game where you get ice thrown at you. We could get pneumonia!"

"I don't care what you two do. I will throw snowballs at the wall if I have to. I'm going outside. Oh and Hermione, don't worry. If you do go out, I'm sure Ron will keep you warm." Harry told them before rushing out of the house into the back yard, trying very hard not to laugh at their expressions. Ron stood stiff inside the living room with an odd expression, half fear, and half anger on his face, which by now was very red.

"Well, come on Hermione! We can't let him get away with that!" Ron exclaimed, pulling Hermione off the couch."

"Ron I only have four layers on! Maybe I should get another coat."

"Oh don't worry. You'll be fine." Ron tried to reassure her but she planted her feet and didn't move. "Look if you get sick, me and Harry will take care of you."

"Harry and I, Ron." Hermione responded automatically.

"Oh fine! Harry and I will take care of you. Please just come with us for a little while."

"Fine but if I do get sick, you will have to do everything I tell you." She responded thickly, grabbing another sweater and wrapping it around her quickly. She realized that it wouldn't help much anyway but at least she had gotten a fifth layer on. As soon as they got out, Harry, who had obviously been making reserve snowballs, started pelting them with deadly aim.

Hermione groaned, ducking so that she wouldn't get hit with too many. Then, a great idea came to her. She dug into one of her pockets and pulled out her wand. They never said that you couldn't do magic during Christmas. With a few well-chosen words, she made about twenty snowballs fly directly at Harry. 

"Hey! That isn't fair!" He cried as he fell to the ground, covered in snow. Ron smiled brightly.

"Great job Hermione!" He said, giving her mitten-covered hand a high five.

"It was nothing. I figured if I had to do this, I might as well do it right."

Soon Hermione was actually having fun. They ran around the backyard throwing any amount of snow they could get their hands on. (Hermione had been restricted from using her wand) Harry and Ron were certainly more into it. They seemed to be having a war. Hermione was just happy to be doing something other than sitting on the couch. As she walked to a big pile of snow sitting at the edge of the yard, Hermione felt herself sink deep into the snow, far too deep to get out.

"Hey guys! Help me out please!" They hadn't heard her and the snow was beginning to soak through her clothing. "HELLO!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. Ron turned, receiving a huge snowball in his face. He wiped the snow out of his hair and began to laugh at Hermione's predicament. "This is in no way funny Ron Weasley!"

"You should see it from my point of view, it is really funny." Ron laughed harder.

"Just help me out ok! I'm beginning to freeze!" Hermione shouted, pounding her fists on the snow in front of her, causing herself to fall further. She was now up to her waist in snow. Ron trudged over, careful not to step to close to the pile that Hermione had fallen into.

"Gee Hermione you seem to have fallen into some snow." Ron told her sarcastically 

"Haha very funny Ron. Now get me out!"

"Did you want me to get you out of that snow Hermione?" Ron asked in the same joking tone.

"Ron!"

"What?"

"Help me!" 

"Help you?"

"Yes!"

"Well, what will you give me if I do?"

"Ronald Weasley!"

"Oh fine! Don't have a cow!" Ron complained, taking a step closer and getting onto his knees carefully. He sunk down into the snow about a foot. "This is joyful." He said, grabbing her arms.

"Ouch!! Ron you're going to pull my arms out of my sockets!" Hermione screamed.

"What do you propose I do then Hermione?" He asked in a frustrated tone, letting go of her arms.

"First of all, if you sit on the ground like that, you pull out instead of up. Second, well, you can't do it by holding my arms…" She stopped and turned red suddenly, "you're going to have to hold my waist instead." Ron groaned, and placed his feet in the holes where his knees had been.

"How exactly am I supposed to hold you?" He asked awkwardly.

"I don't care. Just grab my waist and pull me out. Ask Harry to help."

Ron looked around. Harry wasn't there. "Where is that stupid prat anyway?"

"If he's not here, never mind. You have to help me by yourself." Hermione told him. He grumbled something under his breath and as he took Hermione around the waist. He suddenly felt weak. He ignored the sudden rush of feeling and attempted to lift Hermione out. He soon found that this would never happen, not when he felt so dizzy.

"I can't do it Hermione."

"You are such a baby. Am I really that heavy?"

"I didn't mean it like that! I only meant that you are too far down. I'm going to get Harry."

"You didn't even try very hard Ron! Besides, if you leave, you are just going to leave me here by myself. What if you can't find Harry and it take you two hours to finally find him and you decide to play chess because you forgot all about me and I just sit here, waiting for someone to help me and you come out here tomorrow to do another snowball fight and find me still sitting here, half dead with cold? You will just forget all about me and-"

"Gosh Hermione! Never mind. I'll get you out myself!"

"Good." She smiled triumphantly. "Ron, hurry please! The snow is making me freeze!" Hermione said anxiously. Ron could see why. Her lips were turning blue and she was shivering. He sighed and bent down further so that he could get a better grip around her waist. Slowly she started to come out. He gave one final tug and they fell backwards. Hermione stumbled and landed on something rather warm.

"Sorry Ron." She said apologetically. They had landed in a rather awkward position. Hermione's hands were on either side of Ron's face and somehow, he had managed to keep his arms encircling her waist.

"That's ok." He tried to sit up a little.

"Where _did_ Harry go?" Hermione asked, making no attempt to get up. Ron shrugged. That was the farthest thing from Ron's mind right now. He couldn't stop reminding himself that Hermione was laying on top of him. He flushed as he realized that not only was she sitting on him, but also, Harry was nowhere in sight which meant, they were alone. Hermione suddenly felt uncomfortable, as she must have realized the same thing that Ron had. She tried to push herself up. Ron's grip tightened around her waist.

"Please don't get up yet." He said quickly, almost pleadingly.

"What?" Hermione managed to stutter breathlessly. Ron attempted at an answer but no words came out. His ears grew steadily more scarlet in color. Hermione repositioned herself so that she could see him better. She could have hit herself for so clearly noticing that their faces were less than six inches away from each other. Ron couldn't lose this chance. He was going to explode if he didn't do something. The position they were in now was all good and wonderful but he felt like something was missing. He lifted his head, slowly closing the gap between them. Just as his lips brushed against hers, they heard the kitchen door slam shut. As if suddenly realizing what she was doing, Hermione clambered off of Ron. 

She bent down to help him up before rushing toward the house, blushing like crazy. Ron didn't seem to know what had happened. He sighed and followed Hermione's footsteps in the snow back toward the house. He caught up to her but he certainly wasn't going to say anything after what had just happened. Harry met them at the door, smiling briefly before he saw his friends' faces.

"I was wondering where you two were. I made some hot chocolate if you want some. You two look like human Popsicles." They nodded silently.

"You're right." Hermione said in a small voice. "It's getting kind of late and we should dry off. We were just coming back anyway." Ron nodded, a hint of pink on his cheeks. Harry smirked and led them inside the house.

***

That night, Harry sat in Ron's room. Neither boy could sleep and Ron had been very quiet since he had gotten back from the snowball fight. Harry didn't want to get Ron angry at him. He knew that Ron had to be embarrassed about staying outside, in the cold, with Hermione for a longer period of time than someone would have suspected. Harry did need to get it out of him somehow though. If he didn't he knew that his life would be pretty boring, especially if Ron was going to be as silent as a mouse from now on.

"So what _did_ take you two so long?" He asked Ron carefully, trying to hide his amusement. Though he couldn't see Ron, he knew that he was blushing. Ron didn't say anything and pretended to be asleep. "Oh come on. I know you aren't sleeping!" Harry said smiling.

Ron groaned. "Nothing happened. It just took a long time to get her out. She _was_ down in it all the way to her waist after all." He replied in an awkward voice.

"Yes but it shouldn't have taken that long." Harry pushed on.

"Look Harry," Ron stopped, he didn't know _what_ to tell him.

"Ron, I saw you. You don't have to explain." Harry told him very seriously. Ron coughed nervously.

"You, uh, you saw us?" he asked. Harry was probably the reason that the door had shut so loudly.

"Yes, don't worry about it. I won't make fun of you…that much." Harry smiled.

"Yes, well, I'm feeling tired now. 'Night Harry." Ron replied, voice shaking. Harry laughed and turned over.

"When you two start dating and don't have enough time to think about me, try to remember that I was a good friend." Harry said. Ron laughed and fell asleep.

***

Hermione was very edgy the next morning. Her voice seemed higher than before and she jumped when Harry said good morning to her. "Oh, hi Harry." She said with relief in her voice.

"Is there something wrong Mione?" he asked, making tea for himself as Hermione sat at the table.

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong. Everything is fine." She said in the same strange tone. She attempted a smile but it came out looking like she was terrified instead of happy.

"Mione, you don't look fine. Are you sick?" Harry asked. She shook her head and glanced up at Harry. She looked pale, almost as if she were about to cry. She was shivering but it wasn't because she was cold, she was sitting in front of the fireplace. Harry came and sat at the table across from her.

"Is this about what happened yesterday?" Harry asked in a cautious voice. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Hermione looked up at him, shivering more than before. She sighed and looked away. "Well, is it?" Harry asked.

Hermione put her head in her hands and nodded. They were silent for a while until Hermione spoke up. "How did you find out about that? Did Ron go boasting about it?" She asked Harry bitterly.

Harry laughed, "Certainly not. He wasn't talking to me at all last night. It was the first real time that I had ever seen him stay silent for more than an hour. Truthfully, I kind of uh, saw you two." He said slowly. Hermione groaned and her face grew redder than before. 

"I'm sorry." Harry said quickly. "Why does it bother you anyway? It was going to happen sometime. A lot of people know that you two like each other. We were just waiting for you to find out." Hermione's hands dropped to her lap and she stared at Harry. She put her head on the table. She didn't even want to look at Harry.

"Everyone knows." She began, "You saw." She repeated in disbelief, groaning and pounding her head on the table several times. Harry laughed.

"I wish it didn't bother you so much. It's obvious that you like him. Why is it so wrong for you to ki-"

"Shhh!!" Hermione stopped him before he finished his sentence. Harry smiled and looked around the room. No one else was there. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley decided to go to Romania and visit Charlie again, Ginny was spending the vacation at her friend's house, and Percy, Fred, and George had moved out last year.

"No one else can hear us Mione."

"I just don't even want you to talk about it." Hermione told him, raising her head again. "I mean, it really wasn't a, you know, um, kiss anyway." She flushed red. "I mean, it wasn't, oh I can't talk to you about this!" Hermione complained.

"Why not?"

"Because," She tried to think of a good reason, "Because you're a guy."

"What does that have to do with anything Hermione? You're my best friend, even if you are a girl. Don't you trust me enough to talk to me?" He sounded a bit depressed that she didn't feel like opening up to him.

"If you must know, well, all I'm saying is that it wasn't a real," She cleared her throat, "it wasn't a real kiss. Ask Ron if you have to but please don't bug me about it."

"I'm sorry Hermione. I won't bug you about it anymore." They sat quietly for a long time. Harry sipped at his tea and Hermione just sat, and thought.

"Harry if I don't talk to someone I'm going to explode so it might as well be you." She said finally. "I'm just kind of, sort of, well," She looked up at the stairwell to see if Ron was near and continued in a whisper. "I'm scared Harry."

"Why? There isn't anything to be afraid of."

"Oh really? What if he really does kiss me and I do it wrong? Or what if he finds out that he doesn't really like me?" She forced herself to continue. "What if he suddenly realizes that he likes P-Parvati instead?" Hermione stopped at this and closed her eyes. A tear began to roll down her cheek but she wiped it away quickly, angry that she was so worried about what a guy thought about her.

"Hermione, are you insane? Ron is crazy about you!" Harry told her.

"Well," she didn't know what to say. "Then that is exactly why I am scared. What if he does like me and we break up? He is a great friend and I wouldn't want to lose him over something so stupid. What if something awful happens, like we get into a big fight? I know we will get into fights. What if he starts to hate me so much that he can't even be around me?" Her hands were shaking as she drank from the teacup that Harry had brought for her.

"Hermione, do you really think Ron would hate you?"

"He has before." She drank the rest of her tea in one swallow and set the cup down.

"He only did that because he was a stupid git and he didn't know how much you really meant to him." Harry told her truthfully. Hermione didn't look like she believed him. "Mione, you should hear him after you two fight. He always feels really guilty and he wants to say sorry right away but he's so full of pride that he holds it in and acts like a fool." Hermione sighed, unable to think of any more complaints.

"I'm still scared." She said finally.

"I promise you that you won't be after you kiss him." Harry said. Hermione stared at him.

"And how would you know that Harry?" She asked with a small laugh at the blush the spread across his face. "Fine, don't tell me. All I have to say is it better have been Ginny." Harry smiled mysteriously.

"Maybe I'll tell you after you tell me what happens when you go talk to Ron upstairs." Hermione laughed, still a little nervous but not nearly as bad as she had been forty minutes ago.

"You've got a deal." She said. She hugged Harry tightly, and ran up the stairs, two at a time.

"Hermione!" Harry called from the kitchen, "I forgot to tell you, he said he was feeling sick so he might not want to talk." She called back very quietly, "Thanks!" before knocking on Ron's door.

"Go away Harry! I told you I don't feel well." She heard a voice say from inside.

"Uh, Ron." Hermione said, suddenly not so confident. "Can I come in?" She asked. There was a crash from inside and she heard Ron swear. She was going to suggest coming back later but the door opened in front of her. Ron certainly didn't look well. His eyes were puffy, and he looked pale. He hadn't gotten up all day and his hair hadn't been combed but for some reason, he looked better to Hermione than any other time she had seen him.

"Sorry Mione. I really am sick but if you want to come in you can. Just don't get too close. I have a nasty cough." She sat on Harry's bed and waited for Ron to shut the door. "I really did want to talk to you about last night." He started awkwardly, sitting across from Hermione on his own bed. 

"You shouldn't talk now. Go to sleep, we can always talk about it later." Hermione reassured him.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"Well, in that case, would you mind, um, staying in here for a while? I mean, just until you got really bored or I fell asleep."

"Sure Ron." She replied, bringing a chair next to his bed. He lay down quietly.

"Thanks a bunch Hermione."

"It's not a problem as long as you promise to go to sleep." He nodded. "Good, then I would love to stay." He closed his eyes and fell asleep very quickly. She smiled and smoothed his bangs while he slept. Finally, she decided that she didn't need to watch him anymore. She kissed him on his cheek before walking out.

***

Hermione and Harry had set up the Christmas tree and were putting the ornaments on it when they heard Ron clamber down the stairs. They turned around and Hermione became very angry that he had gotten out of bed.

"Ron. What are you doing? You're sick. You need to be back in bed or you will not get better!"

"Mione, I'm fine. Really, I'm ok." 

She put her hand on his face. "You still feel hot Ron." She said.

"Please don't worry so much." He told her, bending down and kissing her forehead. That shut her up. She blushed and turned back to Harry, who smiled, trying hard not to laugh at how silly they were being.

"I'm going to make hot chocolate. Do you want any Harry?"

"Sure thanks."

"Hermione why can't I have some?" Ron asked, breaking into coughs.

"Oh," she blushed, "well, I was already planning to make you some." She went into the kitchen to make the chocolate.

"So," Harry said, waiting for Ron to fill in the rest.

"So what? I'm not saying anything to you." Ron smiled. "If you really must know, Hermione hasn't, you know, kissed me or anything."

Harry grinned. "That's why we have mistletoe."

"You're right but I don't want to get her sick. You know, it's weird," Ron said, "I mean, until yesterday, Mione was just Mione. How could she have just changed so much in one day?"

"She didn't change Ron. You have always liked her. You just didn't realize it. You two are lucky you have a friend like me. If I hadn't suggested that we have a snowball fight, you wouldn't have been able to 'save' her." He grinned at Ron.

"Why do you think I keep you around?" Ron replied. Hermione came back and handed them each a mug filled with steaming hot chocolate. They sat on the couch for a long time before Harry said that he was tired and that he wanted to go to bed. They said goodbye to him and no other words passed between them for several minutes.

"Hermione, look…what happened yesterday," Ron sighed, "I know that it wasn't an accident. I mean, it wasn't something that just happened. A lot of times, things like that don't end up well but I…I don't know about you but I really _wanted_ that to happen."

Hermione couldn't speak for a long time. "Really?" She responded finally in a voice that seemed relieved.

"Yes really. I care about you Hermione." Ron said, covering his mouth as he coughed. Hermione scooted closer to him and he put his arm gingerly around her shoulders.

"Well Ron, I care a lot about you too. I'm happy I'm not the only one of us who thought it wasn't an accident." She stopped, not knowing what to say next. Ron shifted next to her.

"Hermione, please don't get mad at me when I say this." He told her.

"If it's something you think I will get mad about, you shouldn't say it Ron."

"It isn't something I think you will be mad about but I'm not sure. Just promise not to get mad."

"Ok, I promise that I won't get mad, whatever you say to me."

"Hermione I, I really want to finish what we started yesterday." She looked confused. "I mean," He forced himself to go on. "I really, want to kiss you."

"Oh. Really?" She smiled brightly. "That's good, because, well, I kind of, um, wanted to do that too."

"You see, the only problem is, what if you get sick? Having a cold isn't that great and I would rather that you didn't get a cold all because of me. Never mind, maybe I'll just wait until I feel better." Even the thought of waiting any longer was making Ron feel sick. "I really wouldn't want you to feel bad for weeks just so that I could kiss you." He seemed to be turning paler every time he mentioned it. "It would be foolish and stupid. Why risk your health for something so unimportant. It wouldn't be the most practical th-" Ron's words were cut off because he suddenly found that he was unable to talk.

Hermione had leaned in quickly and kissed him.

Part of her couldn't stand him blabbing on about nothing, the other part just couldn't stand waiting until he was done talking to kiss him. He could really talk forever if he tried wanted to about nothing at all. It was a relief just to shut him up. She knew that it would have been thirty minutes later before they finally kissed if she had let him keep going on about her getting sick. She didn't mind getting sick if she could have at least one kiss with him.

When they separated finally, Hermione said, "I'm sorry Ron, I just had to make you be quit talking somehow."

"That's fine. I do talk a lot don't I? I might talk a lot less if you promise to do that more." He replied, pulling Hermione closer. She blushed and they were silent for a while. They seemed to be happy just to be sitting together. They enjoyed each other's company so much that it didn't matter if they talked. They didn't need talking.

"Ron, what are we now?" Hermione asked awkwardly after a few minutes had passed.

He was startled by the question. "What? Oh, uh, I don't know." He didn't know if it was right to say that she was his girlfriend. What if she didn't want to be his girlfriend? That was possible. Couldn't she like him and not want to be his girlfriend? The thought didn't help him much. He then thought about the idea of actually having a girlfriend. Just the thought of even having a girlfriend, let alone having _Hermione_ as his girlfriend, gave him goose bumps. He had to ask her how she liked being called that. He really didn't need to give her a title but she wanted to know what they were to each other and if she had to be given any title, this was the one he wanted her to have.

"Hermione, would it be weird to call you my, uh, girlfriend?"

She grinned happily. "Of course not. Actually, I was hoping that you would ask me that instead of the other way around. I didn't want to bring it up but I'm happy that you did." She hugged Ron's chest, nestling closer to him. They continued to talk for a long time but they soon fell asleep on the couch. It took a lot of effort for Harry to stay silent when he went down for breakfast the next day. He had done his job well, or so it seemed by the scene he discovered. He assumed that his two best friends had come up with something nice to tell each other. 

'Too bad they aren't awake. They won't be able to open their presents.' Harry thought for a second before realizing that he had already given them the best Christmas present ever. He laughed to himself and began to make breakfast for the late sleepers.

A/N: Well, the end! I hope you liked it! If there are technical mistakes, miss spellings and things like that, I'm sorry. I didn't have time to read it over. Please r+r for me!! Thanx!!!!


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